User blog:El Alamein/Bernard Montgomery vs. George Patton
Things get personal with the deadliest battle World War II never saw as two of the Allied forces' greatest generals turn their tactics - and rifles - on each other! Bernard Montgomery, the strategic genius behind the Battle of El Alamein, master of long-ranged desert combat and a fighting retreat, takes on George Patton, the hard-as-nails general who held off the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge and chased them all the way back to Berlin! Both men were real-life rivals, and competed for honor and glory in the Second World War, but only one will be the deadliest warrior! Bernard Montgomery Bernard Law Montgomery was an officer in the British Army. He was second lietenant during the First World War and the commander of the British 8th Army during the Second World War. His most famous victory, at the battle of El Alamein (from which a certain resident user found inspiration in the creation of his username), turned the tide of the Second World War in favor of the Allied forces - the Allies had won no major victory previous to El Alamein and suffered no major defeat following El Alamein. Montgomery was a master of desert warfare and a strategic genius, employing an impressive defense against Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps before launching a massive counterattack that removed Axis presence from North Africa and allowed the Allied invasion of Italy. After the war, Montgomery enjoyed the title 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, and later died in 1976. George Patton George Smith Patton, Jr. 'was an officer in the United States Army and a general during World War II. He also developed a reputation for eccentricity, and sometimes controversial gruff outspokenness—such as during his profanity-laced speech to his expeditionary troops. He was on the U.S. 1912 Olympic pentathlon team and also designed the U.S. Cavalry's last combat saber: the "Patton Saber". In 1916 he led the first-ever U.S. motorized-vehicle attack during the Mexican Border Campaign. In World War I, he was the first officer assigned to the new United States Tank Corps and saw action in France. In World War II, he commanded corps and armies in North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. In 1944, Patton assumed command of the U.S. Third Army, which under his leadership advanced farther, captured more enemy prisoners, and liberated more territory in less time than any other army in history. He was killed in a car accident shortly after the war ended in 1945. Tactics A one-time extra for Hellstorm, each general's battle tactics will be analyzed with their most famous and decisive victories! Which one was more significant? You decide! The Battle of El Alamein Things weren't looking great for the Allies by the time 1942 rolled along. Erwin Rommel's ''Panzerarmee Afrika had been pushing ever westward across the North African front, fighting his way closer to the Suez Canal and the oil-rich fields of Egypt. Axis victories at battles like Gazala and Tobruk had given the Germans a glimmer of hope for reaching the Suez Canal - but they were low on fuel. The scenario was quickly set for a do-or-die battle that would determine the fate of the North African campaign. British General Claude Auchinlek had been in command of the British 8th Army and its supporting units in North Africa, but in mid-1942 he was relieved and replaced with Bernard Montgomery, who quickly set up a defensive line at the port town of El Alamein in Egypt. He knew that Rommel's men were tired, hot, and running desperately low on fuel - all he had to do was hold his ground and he could bleed the Germans dry. Rommel began his assault on July 1, 1942, with artillery and Panzer tanks laying heavy fire on British defensive positions. Montgomery held firm and fought off wave after wave of attack. The Germans attempted to flank the Allied positions with tanks, but minefields and anti-tank emplacements complicated their advance. Rommel was forced to retreat by the end of July, but the battle had only begun. Both sides assessed the damage, and Rommel advanced again in October 1942. This time, Montgomery launched a counterattack, making daring night raids and crumpling the German line under their attack. Unable to muster enough resources to fight back, Rommel had no choice but to order full retreat. His Panzerarmee Afrika had been defeated by Montgomery and he was pushed all the way back to Tunisia. Without the Battle of El Alamein, victory in North Africa would have been impossible - and, by extension, so would have been victory in Italy, Europe, and the rest of World War II. It was Montgomery's patience against a rash foe that brought victory in WWII. The Battle of the Bulge As 1944 dawned to a close, the Germans faced pressure on all fronts. Mussolini's Italy had folded over under Allied attacks from Sicily and Operation Barbarossa in Russia had been a miserable failure. Hitler's dreams of conquest seemed dashed as he faced a defensive 3-front war, but he envisioned turning the tides with another great blitzkrieg. Allied forces pushing east from France were caught up in the Ardennes forest in Belgium. December 16, 1944 opened with an enormous German assault on American positions. So ferocious was the initial attack that the Allied troops had no other option but to fall back in disarray. Hitler's blitz was working yet again - or so it seemed. The Battle of the Bulge was so named because of the bulging gap created in American lines with the German attack pushing through. The Nazis seemed unstoppable. Then George Patton assumed control. Commanding the American 3rd Army, he marched several thousand troops and a couple hundred tanks through the freezing snow to relieve Allied troops surrounded in local towns such as Bastogne and St. Vith. The Germans' initial successes worked against them, as they had advanced so far as to be overextended and cut off from their supply lines. In 72 hours, Patton had secured trapped Allied units and slowed the German advance to a halt. The Battle of the Bulge was not over, but the Germans would advance no further. Patton wasn't finished though. Turning on the attack, he began the campaign to the Rhine that would lead American forces to meet up with their Russian allies in the final days of the Second World War. Without the Battle of the Bulge, total victory in Europe would have been impossible, leaving Hitler with bargaining room for a peace treaty, and the potential continuation of his genocidal "final solution." It was Patton's audacity and aggressiveness that brought victory in WWII. X-Factors Consider these following X-Factors when casting your vote: '''Psychological Warfare Which warrior is more mentally susceptible to the other's attacks? Keep in mind both of these warriors are masters of psychological warfare, so expect the winner in this category to have a very marginal victory. Strategy Which warrior can form a more solid game-plan beforehand, and which warrior is more adaptable to changing their plans if things go south? Combat Experience Which warrior has more experience fighting other combat-capable warriors? Endurance Which warrior can sustain physical damage for a longer amount of time before giving in? Intelligence Which warrior is more intelligent in the battle space? Which warrior will be able to figure out their foe and exploit their weaknesses first? Creativity Which warrior will be able to use the environment and any other X-Factors in the area to their advantage more successfully? Weapon Use Which warrior is more skilled in the usage of their weapons? Brutality Which warrior is more physically brutal in the battle space? Battle Bernard Montgomery: George Patton: Bernard Montgomery rides his jeep into the field of battle with four British Eighth Army troops, bumping along the dusty road. Peering ahead into the distance, he spots another jeep approaching. Pulling his jeep to block the entire roadway, Montgomery steps out from the vehicle and signals it to stop. The other jeep does not stop, and plows straight into Montgomery's jeep, throwing one of his troops out of the vehicle and killing him. George Patton leaps furiously from the passenger's seat of the other jeep and opens fire with his Thompson, spraying across the front of Montgomery's jeep and shattering the windshield. All of his shots manage to miss the British not more than 10 feet from him, though, and Montgomery returns fire smartly with his Enfield revolver, killing the American driver. His troops fan out and take cover on one side of the roadway while Patton's men do the same. They peek their heads over the roadside and fire sporadically before ducking again to avoid the wild fire zipping back and forth. Patton yanks the pin out of his "pineapple" grenade and lobs it across the roadside. Montgomery picks it up and throws it back at Patton, who throws it back at Montgomery. The grenade explodes in Montgomery's hand and throws him into a tree, riddling one of his men with shrapnel. Montgomery straightens himself out and angrily throws a grenade back at Patton, who has his face blackened in the blast and also suffers a casualty. Patton charges out over the road and whips out his KA-BAR knife, avoiding the frantic British fire, and grabs a soldier up by his shirt collar, slaps him, and then plunges the knife into his chin. The second-to-last British soldier takes out his fighting knife while Monty potshots with his revolver at the Americans struggling to support Patton, killing them. He turns and finds his last soldier sprawled on the ground with a knife in his neck. Patton stands and raises a fist, but takes a revolver shot to the face and falls. Montgomery shouts in victory and raises his hand in the air --- "This is ridiculous." Eisenhower sits back in his chair and frowns at both generals sitting in front of him. "You're both being extremely childish." Folding his arms, he looks at Montgomery, who lowers his gaze. "That was a nice story, Montgomery, but that's not why we're here. Even if you don't like Patton, you are not going to fight him." Patton opens his mouth but Eisenhower gives him a sharp look. "I don't want to hear how you would kill him - I'm not interested. You're both grown men and you need to act like it. And this race to Berlin is unacceptable. You follow my orders. You don't make your own." Patton raises his hand but Eisenhower's look makes him lower it. "Now get the hell out of here." They both mutter, "Yes sir." WINNER: EISENHOWER? Expert's Opinion George Patton may have had the superior weaponry but it was Bernard Montgomery's greater tactical mind that contributed to victory on the North African front, allowing for the rest of the Allied victories to take place. Simply put, his victory at El Alamein changed WWII and without that, Patton's victories could never have taken place. Category:Blog posts